Retro Stereo on a Budget: Another Three-Legged Dog

R.I.P., Sony STR-AV330...

My Sony receiver stopped working when I accidentally slid the volume control all the way to the right. I immediately realized my mistake and turned the volume down, but it was too late. The Sony had gone dark. I removed the receiver's lid and discovered that I had blown a fuse.

I replaced the fuse, but that didn't fix the situation. The Sony kept blowing fuses. I don't know why. I didn't want to spend any more time or money on it, so I removed the receiver's legs and put it on the curb. That was during junk weekend, and the Sony was gone in 20 minutes.

I went back to shopgoodwill.com and won an auction for another Sony receiver that was missing its front leg. I guess I'm a sucker for those.

The Sony STR-VX550 pumps out 50 watts per channel and was manufactured in 1983. So, it meets my nerdy 1980 -1985 criteria. It was $48 with shipping, so it was close to my price target of $40. The auction listing stated that Sony "turns on," and that was all that was tested. It was true that it turned on. My problem was that none of the other buttons worked. Not. One. Other. Button. 

Goodwill auctions offer no returns or refunds, so I had purchased a Sony brick. Dang! I wasn't ready to give up, though. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, our hero:

I removed the lid and faceplate and did my best to spray the back of the switches with the DetoxIT. Then I pressed each switch about 50 times. I sprayed more DetoxIT and worked the switches again. Lather, rinse, repeat. 

Very slowly the receiver began to show signs of life. At first I could only activate the radio. A  few minutes later I could move the volume up and down and the balance from left to right. After two hours and a sore finger, I had most buttons reliably making contact. I had to clean a couple of switches again a few days later because they had stopped working. It is a work in progress. But at least it is not a brick.

For a guy like me, DetoxIT is quite a handy product. I just bought a second can. 

Since I had legs from the other Sony receiver, I was able to replace the missing one in seconds. I also soldered in a new 3V lithium battery for the radio's preset memory.

 Right now the receiver is paired with a Technics SL-P150 CD Player and Minimus 7 speakers. They're all on the freezer in the garage until I can be reasonably sure the button contacts have stayed clean. 

I was happy to learn that this Sony receiver works with a remote. That's a first for me with an old receiver. I could get an offical Sony remote on eBay for $25.

But this Gemini Universal Remote does almost everything the offical RM-S750 would do. I really like how these Gemini remotes work with older electronics. I bought another Gemini off the 'Bay instead of the Sony remote.

While testing the AM reception, I listened to a couple of sports radio personalities discuss the Star Wars "May the Fourth be with You" day. I thought that they were going to make fun of it, but instead one said something like this, "I'll be honest, I don't understand the guy who dresses up like Darth Vader and goes to those conventions and hangs out with other adults in costumes. But I bet he looks at guys like me going to a ball game and says, 'Look at that guy wearing a uniform to the ball park. What does he think? That he's one of the guys on the team?' I think it's the same for pro wrestling and NASCAR fans. I might not understand the Darth Varder guy, but I get him. I might not understand the rabid NASCAR fan, but I get him and I get the pro wrestler guy, too." 

Again, I am paraphrasing what I heard, but I think I captured the spirit of their conversation. It was refreshing to hear someone say, Hey, I'll admit that we're different. I don't really understand your enthusiasms, but I can respect them, and I can respect you. 

Old Habits

Raised on the radio
Raised on the radio
Just an all-American boy
I've got my favorite toy

               - The Ravyns

I went to a Lutheran Bible Camp at Lake Okoboji when I was in the 6th grade.

This vacation was going to be the first time I had ever been away by myself for a week, and I was worried. I wasn't nervous about missing my family or not being able to make friends. I also didn't think twice about sleeping in a strange bed or having to eat weird food. 

I was afraid that a new song would come out on the radio while I was at camp, and I would miss it.

That seems ridiculous today, but back then a song could be played on the radio only a couple of times and then disappear forever. You couldn't download the song or find it on Youtube. The music store in my small hometown sure wouldn't have it. You were at the mercy of the DJs and the music programers. I was horrified by the idea that a great song might come and go before I had the chance to hear it.

The clock radio on the table next to my bed could receive only one "rock" station with any dependable clarity. KELO FM, broadcasting from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was my one connection to the world of new music. I was spending at least one hour every night in bed watching the minute numbers slowly flipping over while memorizing song titles, band names, and lyrics. 

That hour of music was always past my bedtime, so my radio's volume was turned down as low as possible. It's surprising how loud level 1 can become in a silent room.

MTV wasn't an option in (soft)Rock Valley, but when I was in 9th grade the USA Network began airing a 30-minute music program called Radio 1990. I also discovered the music reviews in Rolling Stone magazine about that time. Both were great resources for learning about new music, but I still spent dark hours quietly obsessing in the soft glow of the alarm clock.

In high school I got pretty good at making mix-tapes of songs recorded from LPs and CDs. 

By the time Napster and recordable CDs showed up, I had forgotten all about listening to the radio at night. 

 I even quit listening to the radio in the car when Des Moines' alternative radio station, The DOT 107.5, converted to dance music in July of 1999. I became my own DJ, and for years I only listened to what I wanted to hear when I wanted to hear it.

But then I found a vintage clock radio at a thrift store a few weeks ago. I had no idea why I was drawn to it, but when my gut tells me to buy something, I have learned to listen. 

This is what I brought home.

I tested the clock's accuracy and then retired my beat Spartus alarm clock. Out with old; in with the less old. Having a radio next to my bed again feels like finishing a puzzle I didn't know was incomplete. 

But what station to listen to? I have a lot more choices than I did in the 80's.

Lately, I'm in bed before Daphne, and I have about 30 minutes to listen to WOI-FM on 90.1. My clock has a "Sleep" button that allows the radio to play for eight minutes before it turns off. I usually hit the sleep button two or three times a night - it's like a snooze button in reverse. 

I'm really enjoying the music they play on Studio One, World Cafe, and UnderCurrents. These programs broadcast some music I wouldn't hear anywhere else, and listening to these musical discoveries is like being twelve again. Sometimes a song is so good I want to get up and write down the name of the artist, but I stay in bed. I'm too lazy to care that much.

Do I like all the music they play on these programs? No, I don't. And that's why I enjoy listening to them.

I'd fall asleep a lot faster if 90.1 only played my favorite songs in my favorite genres. A few nights ago the radio was playing a few live recordings by an instrumental group. I wasn't fond of their music, but at the end of each song the recorded audience clapped and cheered with enthusiasm. I kept listening to see if I could hear what they heard. I didn't figure it out, but it was a more interesting experience than listening to a song I knew by heart.

I'm also glad the radio doesn't have a "skip" button. There's nothing I can do if I don't like a song; I have no control over the radio's programming. Instead of dismissing a song after five seconds because it sounds like something I don't enjoy, I have to give the music a chance. And that's where you strike gold. If you only stick with what you like, then you might miss discovering what you love. 

Well, that's enough typing for tonight. It's time to hit that Sleep button. I've got some uncharted territories to explore.

Link: The Ravyns' "Raised on the Radio"